Noutati

Public Administration in EU Eastern Partners: Comparative Report 2014

The Estonian Center of Eastern Partnership has published a comparative analysis of the state of Public Administration in the EU Eastern Partners in 2014. The report presents the level of compliance by public administration of the Eastern Partner countries with EU Principles over 2009-2014 period, along the following criteria:

CEPS Senior Research Fellow Erwan Fouéré has recently published a commentary detailing the challenges facing Moldova in the upcoming year. The paper analyses the government vacuum following the most recent parliamentary elections in the country and issues policy-recommendations to remedy its impact.

Among the challenges that the author notes are “long-standing internal rivalries, economic woes and the country’s unfortunate position in the middle of an intense geopolitical struggle between Russia and the EU.”

Mr. Fouéré’s central argument in the commentary pivots on the idea that the new government “will be able to move forward on a sound basis if it promotes a policy of consensus-building across the country, while involving civil society representatives and the business community, including from Transdniestria.”

A EUROPEUM Report “Taking Stock of EU Civil Society Funding” commissioned by the EaP CSF earlier this year, has won the PASOS 2014 Best Publication of the Year Report.

The report, written by EUROPEUM Senior Research Fellow V?ra ?ihá?ková, examines how the EU funds local civil society groups in the Eastern Partnership region and issues recommendations to make the policy more effective.

Among the findings, the paper has observed that local CSOs – with the exception of those in Azerbaijan – enjoy higher support from EU external action instruments than other local actors in the Eastern Partnership region. The report nonetheless acknowledges that CSOs receive a much smaller share of the budget compared to other beneficiaries of the ENPI.

EU states back plans to combat Russian propaganda

According to a recent article published in the EU Observer, several EU states have supported plans to combat Russian propaganda, including a regulatory crackdown on media which “incite hatred”.

The two-page informal paper - endorsed by Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, and the UK and seen by EUobserver - was circulated around EU capitals on 9 January calling on EU media regulators to hold Russian broadcasters accountable where journalism ethics are violated.

The document describes Russia’s media campaign as “an asymmetric response to Western economic power” which poses “a real threat to security on the eastern edges of the EU”

New policy brief: How can the EaP CSF strengthen its advocacy function?

An EaP CSF commissioned report analysing the Forum’s advocacy efforts has recently been published by FRIDE researcher Natalia Shapovalova. Entitled “How to Strengthen the EaP CSF’s Advocacy Function?”, the report assesses the Forum’s advocacy function to date and suggests policy recommendations for improvement.

The starting-point of the analysis is the widely held perception that the Forum’s advocacy potential has not been fully exploited. As such, Ms. Shapovalova’s main argument is that the Forum’s presence in Brussels should be strengthened to ensure effective advocacy not only in the EaP region but also in the EU.

The findings of the paper are based on Forum documents, interviews with former and current members of the Steering Committee and coordination bodies of the National Platforms in the six EaP countries and recent studies on the Forum.